Session 8: The Influence of Globalisation

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Session 8 The Influence of Globalisation

• Karina M. Smed

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Agenda 10-27-2006

• Part 1 Summary (continued)
• Part 2 The influence of globalisation
• Globalisation as a process
• Globalisation and tourism
• Part 3 The global tourists
• Characteristics and trends
• Case (if there is time)
• Part 4 Evaluation and Exam

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One perception

• we all live in a world which, through global
  products and consumerism, is increasingly the
  same (Burns, 1999124)

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A perspective on change through the global
village

• Tomorrow we can expect to spend most of our
  lives in the company of neighbours who will speak
  in a different tongue, seek different values,
  move at a different pace, and interact according
  to a different script. Within no more than a
  decade or two the probability of spending part of
  ones life in a foreign culture will exceed the
  probability a hundred years ago of ever leaving
  the town in which one was born (Barnlund,
  199835)

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An effect of globalisation

• the intensification of world wide social
  relations which link distant localities in such a
  way that local happenings are shaped by events
  occurring many miles away and vice versa
  (Giddens, 199064)

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 Globalisations subjective side

• works as a common frame of reference, which
  results in local expressions
• same shape everywhere

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Homogenisation/diversification

• Homogenisation e.g. cultural imperialism,
  dependence, westernisation
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• Diversification e.g. mutual dependence, influence
  and fusions

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Expressions of local/global mix

• the global sometimes has to be brought down to
  earth, the local has to be brought up to the
  surface (Hannerz, 1996)
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• Think Globally act locally (Brundtland report,
  1987)
•  
• Glocalisation (Robertson, 1995)

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Contrasting tendencies

• Globalisations alignment/homogenisation
• ?
• Demand for unique experiences and products
• Forces of Globalisation
• ?
• Tourist search
• Standardisation
• ?
• Individualisation
• Reduction of costs
• ?
• Consumer considerations

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Paradox

• Globalisation creates increased cohesion
  politically, economically and to some extent
  socially, via alignment across national borders
•  
• But.
•  
• Simultaneously, an increased focus on local
  units as the central focal point for the
  population, culturally and identitywise.
•  
• I.e..
•  
• Control is taken away from local/national units,
  but a possibility occurs of prosperity and growth
  in local/national culture

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Consequences of globalisation on the destination

• Because of lacking economic control, most often
  the local population does not have very much
  influence on the creation of fake cultures and
  inauthentic images
• Lacking national/local control over local tourism
  development and dependence on tourism creates
  limited possibilities for development, when/if
  tourists no longer provides the needed economic
  growth

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Conclusions

• There is a cultural link between tourism,
  globalisation and international politics at least
  at two levels
• cultural changes as a result of international
  tourism
• Growing awareness of the fact that governing
  cultures are possibly becoming more alike due to
  processes of globalisation
• Globalisation does not seem to decrease national
  consciousness on the contrary there is good
  reason to assume that local cultures will survive
  and continue to have its own characteristics
• the duality of tourism is found in the fact that
  it is a threat to tourism and a platform for
  local cultures

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The global nomads

• Purpose of the investigation
• To collect general crossnational data on the
  young travellers
• To compare data on this groups social and
  cultural background to data on their purchase of
  a journey, information search, choice of
  destinations previous journeys

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Who are they?

• Majority is students under the age of 26 on a
  relatively high educational level
• Have a relatively low income but ready to save
  and/or work, which increases their spendings
• Identify themselves with three groups
• Travellers (a little more than half)
• Backpackers (approx. 1/3)
• Tourists (approx. 1/5)

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Why do they travel?

• Most popular motivation categories
• Meeting other cultures (83)
• Excitement (74)
• To learn something (69)
• Those who define themselves as travellers
  primarily seeks social aspects in the journey,
  backpackers the unique experience, and
  tourists relaxation
• Those under 26 focus mostly on social aspects and
  excitement, and those a litlle older more
  individualised experiences and to a lesser extent
  the extreme
• They percieve longer journeys as a once in a
  lifetime experience, and are therefore willing
  to do more to make it one

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How much do they travel?

• The average of previous journeys outside their
  usual environment is six, and eight for those
  over 26
• The journey usually includes two or more
  countries, and a tendency is that the more
  experienced a traveller one is, and the longer
  the journey is, the more countries the journey
  includes

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Where do they search for information?

• The Internet (71) family and friends (70)
• 37 uses guide books, but mostly used by those
  older than 26, the more experienced travellers,
  and thos defining themselves as backpackers
• The less experienced are more dependent on travel
  agents
• indications of a high level of planning prior to
  the journey

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How do they book the journey?

• 65 use travel agents, and there is equal
  distribution between those using ordinary and
  specialised travel agents backpackers are
  most likely to use specialised, tourists most
  likely using ordinary
• Very few book any type of accommodation in prior
  to leaving home
• On an average, they book the journey six weeks in
  advance two months for journeys lasting more
  than four months
• 56 have received some sort of discount on their
  journey

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Where do they go?

• On the last bigger journey, 56 visited Europe
  and 16 North America
• For backpackers, Asia and South America are
  they most visited, for travellers North America
  
• Women travel mostly in Western Europe, the Middle
  East and Central and South America men more
  in Eastern Europe, North-, South- and Central
  America, China/Japan and Southeast Asia
• A travel career seems to take form, since the
  least experienced visit western destinations, and
  the more experienced visit more challenging
  destinations

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Where do they stay?

• 41 stay with friends and family and 32 at
  hostels
• hostels are mostly used in Asia

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For how long do they travel?

• On an average 63 days backpackers have the
  largest average of 74 days
• The longest journeys go to Austral asia (128
  days) the shortest to Europe (34 days)

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What do they do?

• The most popular activities are visits to
  historic sites and monuments (77), walking and
  hiking (76), café- and restaurant visits (72)
  and shopping (72)
• Few participate in academic or other educational
  activities, although 28 do
• Activities for the three groups (backpackers,
  travellers and tourists) are very similar,
  backpackers seem to do more of everything
• There are changes between intense periods of
  activities and relaxation
• Walking and hiking and cultural events are most
  popular among female travellers, whereas the male
  participate more in sports and other adrenalin
  producing events

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Which sources of information do they use while
travelling?

• 46 primarily use guide books, and Lonely Planet
  is the most widely used among backpackers
• 68 use the Internet and e-mail to keep in touch
  with other travellers and the home environment

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What do they get out of it?

• First and foremost the urge to travel more
• Cultural consciousness in terms of greater
  understanding and appreciation of other cultures
• The tendency is that the more activities one
  engages in, the more benefits one gets out of it

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Group task

• Discuss how this type of tourists can be claimed
  to be global nomads (what does this imply? How
  does it fit the characteristics of this group?)
• Discuss how the following topics can be related
  to this group of tourists
• -         The journey as identity constructing
• -         The tourist search for authenticity
• -         The sacred/profane distinction
• - Other topics that you may think of
• Discuss how this reflects general globalisation
  tendencies

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Examination

• 3-day assignment from 8 11 jan. 2007
• 10 pages (of 2400 keystrokes)
• Text material for
• Inspiration
• Exemplification
• Analysis
• Other
• Question(s) related to text

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EVALUATION!